Golf-Hotel-Resorts AND CASINO News: Priceline Vs. Airbnb + Marriott Vs. Wyndham + SeaWorld Vs. Change

August 9, 2017

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Note From the Editor

The sharing economy is divisive as can be. That is, it is setting up an emerging clash between the king of apartment rentals Airbnb, and Booking.com, the lord of online hotel booking. Priceline Group CEO Glenn Fogel is determined to get into the home- and apartment-rental conversation with Airbnb. Meanwhile, InterContinental Hotels Group, as we report, is taking a contrarian approach, refusing — for now — to follow its hotel-chain peers into sharing-economy investments.

Meanwhile, SeaWorld had invested in a lot of TV advertising to reverse the Blackfish fallout but in recent months had pulled back on the ad blitz. Company officials are now realizing that was a big mistake. Let's see how correctable that miscue can be.

— Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor

A data dive into the habits of U.S. high-income travelers. What do they value and what expectations do they have from their travels?

Priceline Is Making a Land Grab on Airbnb's Turf by Adding Rental Inventory

The Priceline Group is the colossus of hotel bookings but it is playing catch-up when it comes to vacation rentals. Yet CEO Glenn Fogel sounds determined to hone in on Airbnb's territory.

InterContinental Hotels Won't Rush to Follow Rivals Into Alternative Accommodations

InterContinental's new CEO Keith Barr seems happy — for now — to carry on with the work done by his predecessor. While rivals have explored other areas, IHG keeps doing the same thing, although it is developing a new midscale brand. Only time will tell which strategy is right.

TripAdvisor Aims to Keep Up Its TV Ad Blitz To Lift Its Sagging Hotel Business

TripAdvisor plans to spend more than $35 million on TV ads between July and September to boost its business. Brand advertising can help the company although it is a very competitive environment.

SeaWorld Is Still Tanking as Public Perception Problems Return

SeaWorld said a lot during this call after a dismal quarter, but equally interesting is what the company didn't address. We wonder if higher spending on advertising will help the operator address the issues that have resurfaced — and what it will do if not.

Norwegian Cruise CEO Says Cuba Sailings Are Selling Strong

Norwegian's results are more evidence that the cruise industry is booming despite the downturn in the up-and-coming China market. By using language like "the stars aligned," however, executives sound like they're trying to lower expectations that the good luck will stick around.

Marriott Unseats Wyndham as Best Hotel Loyalty Program in New Ranking

Alaska Airlines continued to scoop up awards for its distance-based loyalty program while Marriott took advantage of its recent merger in this year's U.S. News and World Report's loyalty program rankings.

JetBlue Switches to Customer Service Tool Built by Startup it Funded

JetBlue will be one of the first airlines to build unified records of all the interactions that each customer has with it via phone, text, and so forth. We hope other airlines copy the move to improve their service.

5 Trends Shaping the Future of Luxury Travel

There are so many forecasts about the future of luxury travel, yet most track the same trends. Here's Sabre Corporation's take on what's next.

Disney Isn't Seeing Much Impact From Avatar Land Just Yet

Disney has a strong lineup of coming attractions at its theme parks in the U.S., but we'd like to know how the newest addition is doing. Executives didn't provide much detail in a call with analysts Tuesday.

From the Archives

As we continue to celebrate Skift's 5th birthday, it is pertinent to recall that In some ways, Skift really found its early footing through several series of interviews with the most important CEOs and other executives in the online travel and hotel industries. In turn, they helped us dissect emerging trends in online travel booking and the future of the guest experience.

The Future of Travel Booking

Skift sat down with 17 online travel CEOs over three months to better understand what matters to them as they look at the future of travel booking. Understand the trends, buy the e-book.

The Future of Guest Experience

The pace at which the global hospitality industry is changing has reached an unprecedented high. Understand what's happening at the world's most important hotel brands through interviews with their leaders.

The best tourism websites in the business in 2017 are emphasizing user-generated content from platforms like Instagram and doubling down on video to make destinations seem more real rather than a part of a traveler's imagination.

Channel Shock: The Future of Travel Distribution

The global distribution systems aren't going anywhere. Innovation, however, is happening in the margins of the travel distribution marketplace, with airlines seeking to regain control of their destiny.

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